Captain Underpants
The Cat in the Hat is a children's book written and illustrated by Theodor Geisel under the pen name Dr. Seuss and first published in 1957. The story centers on a tall anthropomorphic cat, who wears a red and white-striped hat and a red bow tie. The Cat shows up at the house of Sally and her unnamed brother one rainy day when their mother is away. Ignoring repeated objections from the children's fish, the Cat shows the children a few of his tricks in an attempt to entertain them. In the process he and his companions, Thing One and Thing Two, wreck the house. The children and the fish become more and more alarmed until the Cat produces a machine that he uses to clean everything up. He then says his goodbyes and disappears just before the children's mother walks in. Geisel created the book in response to a debate in the United States about literacy in early childhood and the ineffectiveness of traditional primers such as those featuring Dick and Jane. Geisel was asked to write a more entertaining primer by William Spaulding, whom he had met during World War II and who was then director of the education division at Houghton Mifflin. However, because Geisel was already under contract with Random House, the two publishers agreed to a deal: Houghton Mifflin published the education edition, which was sold to schools, and Random House published the trade edition, which was sold in bookstores. Geisel gave varying accounts of how he created The Cat in the Hat, but in the version he told most often he was so frustrated with the word list from which he could choose words to write his story that he decided to scan the list and create a story based on the first two words he found that rhymed. The words he found were cat and hat. The book met with immediate critical acclaim and financial success. Reviewers praised it as an exciting alternative to traditional primers. Three years after its debut, the book had already sold over a million copies, and in 2001 Publishers Weekly listed the book at number nine on its list of best-selling children's books of all time. The book's success led to the creation of Beginner Books, a publishing house centered on producing similar books for young children learning to read. In 1983, Geisel said, "It is the book I'm proudest of because it had something to do with the death of the Dick and Jane primers." The book was adapted into a 1971 animated television special and a 2003 live-action film. Plot Shrek, a green ogre who loves the solitude in his swamp, finds his life interrupted when countless fairytale characters are exiled there by order of the fairytale-hating Lord Farquaad of Duloc. Shrek tells them that he will go ask Farquaad to send them back. He brings along a talking Donkey, who is the only fairytale creature who knows the way to Duloc. Meanwhile, Farquaad tortures the Gingerbread Man into giving the location of the remaining fairytale creatures until his guards rush in with something he has been searching for: the Magic Mirror. He asks The Mirror if his kingdom is the fairest of them all but is told that he is not even a king. To be a king he must marry a princess and is given three options, from which he chooses Princess Fiona, who is locked in a castle tower guarded by lava and a dragon. The Mirror tries to mention "the little thing that happens at night" but is unsuccessful. Shrek and Donkey arrive at Farquaad's palace in Duloc, where they end up in a tournament. The winner gets the "privilege" of rescuing Fiona so that Farquaad may marry her. Shrek and Donkey easily defeat the other knights in wrestling-match fashion, and Farquaad accepts his offer to move the fairytale creatures from his swamp if Shrek rescues Fiona. Shrek and Donkey travel to the castle and split up to find Fiona. Donkey encounters the dragon and sweet-talks the beast before learning that it is female. Dragon takes a liking to him and carries him to her chambers. Shrek finds Fiona, who is appalled at his lack of romanticism. As they leave, Shrek saves Donkey, caught in Dragon's tender clutches, and forces her to chase them out of the castle. At first, Fiona is thrilled to be rescued but is quickly disappointed when Shrek reveals he is an ogre. As the three journey to Duloc, Fiona urges the two to camp out for the night while she sleeps in a cave. Shrek and Donkey stargaze while Shrek tells stories about great ogres and says that he will build a wall around his swamp when he returns. When Donkey persistently asks why, he says that everyone judges him before knowing him; therefore, he feels he is better off alone, despite Donkey's admission that he did not immediately judge him when they met. Along the way, Shrek and Fiona find they have more in common and fall in love. One night, when the trio is almost at Duloc, Fiona shelters in a windmill. When Donkey hears strange noises coming from it, he finds Fiona turned into an ogre. She explains her childhood curse and her nightly transformation, which is why she was locked away, and that only her true love's kiss will return her to her "love's true form". Shrek, about to confess his feelings for Fiona with a sunflower, partly overhears them, and is heartbroken as he mistakes her disgust with her transformation to an "ugly beast" as disgust with him. Fiona makes Donkey promise not to tell Shrek, vowing to do it herself. The next morning, Shrek has brought Lord Farquaad to Fiona. The couple return to Duloc, while a hurt Shrek angrily leaves his friendship with Donkey and returns to his now-vacated swamp, remembering what Fiona "said" about him. Despite his privacy, Shrek is devastated and misses Fiona. Furious at Shrek, Donkey comes to the swamp where Shrek says he overheard Donkey and Fiona's conversation. Donkey keeps his promise to Fiona and tells Shrek that she was talking about someone else. He accepts Shrek's apology and tells him that Fiona will be getting married soon, urging Shrek into action to gain Fiona's love. They travel to Duloc quickly, thanks to Dragon, who had escaped her confines and followed Donkey. Shrek interrupts the wedding before Farquaad can kiss Fiona. He tells her that Farquaad is not her true love and only marrying her to become king. The sun sets, which turns Fiona into an ogre in front of everyone in the church, causing a surprised Shrek to fully understand what he overheard. Outraged by Fiona, Farquaad orders Shrek killed and Fiona detained. Shrek whistles for Dragon who bursts in along with Donkey and devours Farquaad. Shrek and Fiona profess their love and share a kiss; Fiona is bathed in light as her curse is broken but is surprised that she is still an ogre, as she thought she would become beautiful, to which Shrek replies that she is beautiful. They marry in the swamp and leave on their honeymoon while the rest celebrate by singing "I'm a Believer". Abilities All of Ramsay's business interests (restaurants, media, consultancy) are held in the company Gordon Ramsay Holdings Limited, which was run in partnership with his father-in-law, Chris Hutcheson. Ramsay owns a 69% stake, valued at £67 million in 2007.38 Whereas previous ventures acted as a combined consultant/brand, in November 2006 Ramsay announced plans to create three restaurants in the United States in partnership with private equity firm Blackstone Group, who are refurbishing each of the chosen hotels into five star locations at a cost of £100 million per hotel. At an investment of £3 million per restaurant for the 10-year lease, all the restaurants offer the chef's trademark modern European cuisine, and opened in 2006/2007 at: * Gordon Ramsay at the London Hotel in Manhattan, New York, October 200624 * Gordon Ramsay at the Cielo in Boca Raton, Florida * Gordon Ramsay at the London Hotel in West Hollywood, California * Gordon Ramsay at the Mirabelle in London In late 2006 Gordon Ramsay Holdings purchased three London pubs which he converted into gastropubs. These are: The Narrow in Limehouse, which opened in March 2007, the Devonshire in Chiswick, which opened in October 2007 and The Warrington in Maida Vale, which opened in February 2008. Both The Devonshire and The Warrington were subsequently sold in 2011 (The Warrington to pub company Faucet Inn), leaving The Narrow as the sole pub in GRH's portfolio.39 Ramsay acts as a consultant to numerous catering organisations, and was recruited by Singapore Airlines as one of its "International Culinary Panel" consultants.40 In May 2008 it was confirmed that Ramsay's protégé of 15 years, Marcus Wareing, was going solo, having opened and operated Pétrus at The Berkeley Hotel on behalf of Gordon Ramsay Holdings since 2003.41 With the name Pétrus owned by Gordon Ramsay Holdings, industry sources suggested it was likely to transfer to another restaurant in the group with the former La Noisette site identified as the most likely.42 In April 2010, Jason Atherton, executive chef of Maze restaurants worldwide, resigned to open his own venue in Mayfair.43 On 19 October 2010, the company Gordon Ramsay Holdings Limited announced that Chris Hutcheson had left his position as CEO of Gordon Ramsay Holdings Ltd. Shortly after, Ramsay released a letter to the press describing how he had unravelled the "manipulative" Hutcheson's "complex life" after having him followed by a private detective. His father-in-law's "away days," wrote Ramsay, "were rarely what I thought they were." Company accounts show Hutcheson borrowed up to £1.5 million from Gordon Ramsay Holdings, of which he was chief executive, though he says he reported the borrowings to the company and paid the money back. Hutcheson said he had been "vaporised" and subjected to a "public hanging" by Ramsay, whom he described as a friendless egotist.44 In October 2012, Ramsay opened The Fat Cow in Los Angeles, US at The Grove, a shopping area that is also popular with tourists.45 Ramsay explained his intention for the Fat Cow in a press release to signify the opening of the venue: "The concept for The Fat Cow came from my desire to have a neighborhood restaurant that you could go to all the time to just relax and enjoy a terrific meal."46 In partnership with footballer David Beckham, Ramsay opened the Union Street Café in the Southwark district of London, UK in September 2013. The Italian cuisine of the Union Street Café, with a menu that is revolved on a daily basis, is overseen by Chef Davide Degiovanni.47 In October 2013, the Gordon Ramsay at The London restaurant in New York lost its two Michelin stars due to issues encountered by the Michelin reviewers. The guide's director Michael Ellis stated that he was served "some very erratic meals" and also experienced "issues with consistency." The loss follows the closure of another of Ramsay's restaurants in June 2013.48 In January 2014 Ramsay lost a high court case in relation to the "York & Albany pub." Ramsay claimed that his father-in-law had misused a 'ghost writing' machine to make a personal guarantor for the £640,000 a year annual rent of that pub. Ramsay tried to nullify the 25-year lease, signed in 2007. The judge said that Ramsay had known from the guarantee beforehand but that he had total trust in his father-in-law, Christopher Hutcheson, and left the deal with him. The judge dismissed the case and ordered Ramsay to pay all legal costs and outstanding monies, in total more than a million pounds.49 Characters ; Gyro Zeppeli (ジャイロ・ツェペリ Jairo Tseperi) : Voiced by: Shinichiro Miki (All-Star Battle, Eyes of Heaven), Kenji Hamada (Vomic) : Gyro Zeppeli is a disgraced magistrate and executioner from the Kingdom of Naples (ネアポリス王国 Neaporisu Ōkoku), who participates in the Steel Ball Run to free someone who he believes has been wrongly imprisoned, racing on his horse Valkyrie (ヴァルキリー Varukirī). Gyro is a master of a mystical art called the Spin (回転 Kaiten), which is channeled through Steel Balls (鉄球 Tekkyū) and is the art of imparting the knowledge of the Golden Rectangle into throwing the Steel Ball, causing the Spin to be transferred from the ball to the target. It has both healing and offensive properties, as the Zeppeli family has used the Spin in both their medical practice and in their work as executioners for the church. Gyro later develops an ability called Scan (スキャン Sukyan) when one of his Steel Balls is imparted with a piece of the Saint's Corpse, the object of desire of Funny Valentine. Scan gives Gyro the ability to look inside people, making his Spin's attacks even more deadly. With the power of the Super Spin, accessed by having Valkyrie run at a fast enough speed to make everything incorporate the Golden Rectangle, he develops the Stand Ball Breaker (ボール・ブレイカー Bōru Bureikā), which when a Steel Ball hits its mark the vast energies kept by the Spin accelerates the life of cells in the target, so much so that the cells die. He is ultimately killed by Funny Valentine. : Gyro's real name is Julius Caesar Zeppeli (ユリウス・カエサル・ツェペリ Yuriusu Kaesaru Tseperi, pronounced in English as Juriasu Shīzā Tseperi (ジュリアス・シーザー・ツェペリ?)), sharing his name with Caesar Zeppeli of Battle Tendency. ; Johnny Joestar (ジョニィ・ジョースター Jonyi Jōsutā) : Voiced by: Yūki Kaji (All-Star Battle, Eyes of Heaven), Takahiro Mizushima (Vomic) : Johnny Joestar was an American horse racing prodigy (born in Kentucky but grew up for some time in the United Kingdom) until an altercation while in line for a play left him paralyzed from the waist down. He participates in the Steel Ball Run in order to follow Gyro and to learn how to use the Spin, as it is the only thing that has made him able to stand again. Johnny races on Slow Dancer (スロー・ダンサー Surō Dansā) and eventually develops the Stand Tusk (タスク Tasuku), at first allowing him to shoot his fingernails at people, but it soon evolves through a series of Acts. With Act 2 he imparts his fingernails with the Spin, allowing him to move the holes his fingernails produce. Act 3 allows Johnny to teleport parts of himself through the holes after he shoots himself with an Act 2 fingernail. The final form of Act 4 allows Johnny to impart the Spin as a "Super Spin", allowing him to trap the target in a constant loop in which they cannot leave where they were located at the time of the attack. In Part 8 JoJolion, it is eventually revealed that he did indeed relearn how to walk, and ended up marrying Rina Higashikata and having a son named George. However, Rina eventually came down with her family's disease and Johnny stole the Corpse to use Ticket to Ride to save her, only for the disease to be pushed onto George instead. Horrified by he had done and finally understanding what Ticket to Ride does, Johnny rode off with George to where Rina couldn't see him and reactivated the Stand, infecting himself with the disease instead. As he rode back to the Higashikata household to die with his wife by his side, Johnny was knocked off his horse by something that struck him in the head and his head was crushed by a falling boulder. : Johnny's full name is Jonathan Joestar, the same as the protagonist of Phantom Blood and the original titular JoJo. Also like the original, he had a pet named Danny, although it was a rat that lived a full life as opposed to a dog that was killed. ; Lucy Steel (ルーシー・スティール Rūshī Sutīru) : Voiced by: Houko Kuwashima (All-Star Battle) : Lucy Steel is the 14-year-old wife of Steel Ball Run promoter Stephen Steel. She tries to help Johnny and Gyro win the race by going undercover as the wife of President Valentine. However, her cover is blown one night and she accidentally acquires all of the President's Corpse parts into her, becoming pregnant by their means. This ultimately bestows upon her a powerful Stand called Ticket to Ride (涙の乗車券（チケット・ゥ・ライド） Chikettu Raido) that Valentine uses against the others. It grants her the ability to draw powerful blades from her eyes, part water as Moses did to the Red Sea, and protect her from any harm by causing a chain reaction to deflect harm from her. Its ultimate power manifests when it was combined with the powers of D4C to form D4C: Love Train, which deflects all misfortune that would approach Valentine. Her maiden name is Pendleton (ペンドルトン Pendoruton), shared with the character Erina Joestar (née Pendleton) of Phantom Blood and Battle Tendency. ; Funny Valentine (ファニー・ヴァレンタイン Fanī Varentain) : Voiced by: Yasuyuki Kase (All-Star Battle, Eyes of Heaven) : Funny Valentine is the 23rd President of the United States (replacing Benjamin Harrison in the fiction of Steel Ball Run), a disgraced soldier who was discharged from duty after having been tortured. He ultimately finds the heart of the Saint and seeks to obtain all the parts, as a prophecy is foretold that the holder of all of the parts of the Saint will rule the world. His ultimate plan is to assemble the corpse to activate its stand, which will protect America by sending all misfortune elsewhere and thus ensure its eternal global dominance. In obtaining the heart, he gains the Stand Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap (Dirty deeds done dirt cheap（いともたやすく行われるえげつない行為） Dātī Dīzu Dan Dāto Chīpu (Itomo Tayasuku Okonawareru Egetsunai Kōi)), often shortened to just D4C (D4C（ディー･フォー･シー） Dī Fō Shī), which allows him to travel between alternate dimensions by being pressed between two objects, and also allowing him to transfer his consciousness with an alternate version of himself to keep himself from dying from his wounds. He can also bring other people from these alternate realities into his own, and if they come in contact with that universe's iteration of themselves, they will annihilate each other in the form of Menger sponges. With Lucy's powers, he acquires the ability D4C -Love Train- (D4C-ラブトレイン- Dī Fō Shī -Rabu Torein-''), which makes a gap in space with Lucy's body to make President Valentine seemingly invincible from harm, as well as making any attack he makes ultimately more dangerous. He manages to kill Gyro in combat, but not before Gyro's final attack speeds up his aging to the point where he can barely stand and forces him to discard his current athletic body. Before he is killed by Johnny's Act 4, he brings a Diego Brando from an alternate reality into this one in order to prevent Johnny from obtaining the corpse. ; Diego Brando (ディエゴ・ブランドー ''Diego Burandō) : Voiced by: Takehito Koyasu (All-Star Battle, Eyes of Heaven), Masayuki Katō (Vomic) : Diego Brando, nicknamed Dio (ディオ), is a British racer in the Steel Ball Run, riding the horse Silver Bullet (シルバーバレット Shirubā Baretto). He is initially just a rival to Gyro and Johnny, but he soon grows to hate them enough that he joins forces with the President. After being subject to the Stand of Dr. Ferdinand, Diego acquires one of the Saint's eyes and obtains the Stand Scary Monster (恐竜（スケアリー・モンスター） Sukearī Monsutā), allowing him to transform into a dinosaur at will, as well as transform other living beings into dinosaurs or fossilize them. After he turns on the President and dies, Valentine uses D4C to bring another Diego Brando into this iteration of reality, and this one has the Stand The World (THE WORLD（ザ・ワールド） Za Wārudo), the same as his namesake Dio Brando. This Diego ultimately wins the Steel Ball Run, but is killed shortly thereafter thanks to Lucy Steel retrieving the original Diego's severed head, and is disqualified as he could not be located. Other racersedit ; Sandman (砂男（サンドマン） Sandoman, alternatively "Soundman" (サウンドマン Saundoman)) : Voiced by: Hirofumi Nojima (Eyes of Heaven) : Sandman (although he goes by a name that loosely translates to "Soundman" amongst his people) is a Native American participant in the Steel Ball Run who has no horse and runs barefoot throughout the race as he has found a way to do so without needing any rest. He learned to speak English by reading books, but his people burned down his tepee when they discovered he was reading things written by the white men. He develops the Stand In a Silent Way (イン・ア・サイレント・ウェイ In A Sairento Wei), which can produce sounds that become three-dimensional kana that are stored in objects. When the object comes in contact with someone, the kana come out of the object and attack based on the sound that produced them. He teams up with Dio and attacks Gyro and Johnny, but is ultimately killed, his last thoughts being of his older sister who raised him. ; Mountain Tim (マウンテン・ティム Maunten Timu) : Mountain Tim is a cowboy from Wyoming who participates in the Steel Ball Run on his horse Ghost Rider in the Sky (ゴースト・ライダー・イン・ザ・スカイ Gōsuto Raidā In Za Sukai). In his youth, he accidentally came across a piece of land known as the Devil's Palm (悪魔の手のひら Akuma no Tenohira), a piece of the United States that seems to move on its own accord, having been created after a terrible tragedy befell the Saint. As a result, he obtained his Stand Oh! Lonesome Me (オー！ロンサム・ミー Ō! Ronsamu Mī), which enchanted his lasso into enabling him to move parts of his or other people's bodies along its length. He is brought into the race to investigate a series of murders perpetrated by the Boomboom family. ; Urmd Abdul (ウルムド・アブドゥル Urumudo Abuduru) : Urmd Abdul is an Egyptian racer of the Steel Ball Run who rides his unnamed camel rather than a horse. He loses fairly early in the race. : He is named after Stardust Crusaders character Mohammed Avdol. ; Dot Han (ドット・ハーン Dotto Hān) : Dot Han is a Mongolian participant in the Steel Ball Run, a child of Genghis Han, riding his horse #1. He loses fairly early in the race. ; Pocoloco (ポコロコ Pokoroko) : Voiced by: Yasuhiko Kawazu (All-Star Battle), Fumihiro Okabashi (Vomic) : An American racer from Georgia who rides the horse Hey! Ya! (ヘイ！ヤア！ Hei! Yaa!). Before joining the Steel Ball Run, he met a mysterious gypsy who told him that his luck will turn around for the next two months, leading to his decision to participate in the race. This coincides with the development of his Stand Hey Ya! (ヘイ・ヤー Hei Yā), a sentient stand which guides Pocoloco to make lucky choices and gives him positive encouragment. He joined the Steel Ball Run for the cash prize, which would allow him to both take care of his parents and avoid life as a share cropper. After tallying the points, Pocoloco comes in second place, but due to Diego's death he is ultimately named the winner of the Steel Ball Run, thus confirming the gypsy's prophecy. ; Baron Roocatugo (ロッカチュゴ男爵 Rokkachugo Danshaku) : A German participant in the Steel Ball Run who drives a car rather than rides a horse. He is eliminated early due to its fuel consumption. ; Mrs. Robinson (ミセス・ロビンスン Misesu Robinsun) : A Mexican participant in the Steel Ball Run who rides the horse El Condor Pasa (エル・コンドル・パサ Eru Kondoru Pasa). He is quick to attack Gyro to eliminate him from the run, using a cactus as well as a hive of insects kept in his eye, but is easily dispatched. ; The Boomboom Family (ブンブーン一家 Bunbūn Ikka) : The Boombooms are a family of assassins hired to kill Gyro and Johnny to prevent them from winning the Steel Ball Run. Like Mountain Tim, each passed through the Devil's Palm and each has a unique aspect of a shared Stand called Tomb of the Boom (トゥーム・オブ・ザ・ブーム Tūmu Obu Za Būmu). Mountain Tim is hired to catch them. :; Benjamin Boomboom (ベンジャミン・ブンブーン Benjamin Bunbūn) :: Voiced by: Kazuhiro Yamaji (Eyes of Heaven) :: Benjamin is the patriarch of the Boombooms and rides the horse Crosstown Traffic (クロスタウン・トラフィック Kurosutaun Torafikku). His Stand Tomb of the Boom 1(トゥーム・オブ・ザ・ブーム ワン Tūmu Obu Za Būmu Wan) allows him to fuse metal to his body and transform his appearance into that of another person. :; Andre Boomboom (アンドレ・ブンブーン Andore Bunbūn) :: Andre is the elder brother of the Boomboom family and rides the horse Foxy Lady (フォクシーレディ Fokushī Redi). His Stand Tomb of the Boom 2 (トゥーム・オブ・ザ・ブーム ツー Tūmu Obu Za Būmu Tsū) allows him to magnetize people through his touch, even if the target is only hit by a drop of his blood. :; L.A. Boomboom (L.A.ブンブーン Eru Ē Bunbūn) :: L.A. is the younger brother of the Boomboom family and rides the horse Little Wing (リトル・ウイング Ritoru Uingu). His Stand Tomb of the Boom 3 (トゥーム・オブ・ザ・ブーム スリー Tūmu Obu Za Būmu Surī) allows him to manipulate iron sand by attracting it to his body, and even giving him the ability to attract the iron in others' blood. ; Oyecomova (オエコモバ Oekomoba) : Oyecomova is a Neapolitan anarchist, terrorist, and explosives expert. He plans to kill Gyro, as he is the only person alive who can stop him from killing their king, as well as to stop what he believes to be the inevitable pro-monarchist surge that would occur should Gyro (a direct servant of the king) actually win. He also finds the Devil's Palm, granting him a Stand called Boku no Rhythm wo Kiitekure (ボクのリズムを聴いてくれ Boku no Rizumu o Kiitekure, the Japanese title of "Oye Como Va") that takes the form of a toucan-like creature that applies timed pins to whatever it touches. If these pins are not held down, they will pop off after three seconds and cause whatever they are attached to to explode. ; Fritz von Stroheim (フリッツ・フォン・シュトロハイム Furittsu Fon Shutorohaimu) : Stroheim is a German terrorist sent to assassinate Gyro, participating in the Steel Ball Run by riding the horse Europe Express (ヨーロッパ・エクスプレス Yōroppa Ekusupuresu). He has been converted into a cyborg, much like his namesake Rudol von Stroheim from Battle Tendency. ; Hot Pants (ホット・パンツ Hotto Pantsu) : Voiced by: Megumi Toyoguchi (Eyes of Heaven) : Hot Pants is an American participant in the Steel Ball Run, riding the horse Gets Up (ゲッツ・アップ Gettsu Appu). She participates dressed as a man, having actually spent the past several years as a nun, and seeks to obtain the Corpse parts. Her Stand Cream Starter (クリーム・スターター Kurīmu Sutātā) takes the form of a "meat spray" that can turn other people's flesh into a foamy substance, both as a defensive measure to prevent them from properly attacking as well as healing wounds by fusing the foamy flesh together. ; Gaucho (ガウチョ) : Gaucho is a Spanish racer in the Steel Ball Run, riding Peg (ペグ Pegu). He dies while trapped by Ringo Roadagain. ; Norisuke Higashikata (ノリスケ・ヒガシカタ) : Norisuke Higashikata is a Japanese racer in the Steel Ball Run, riding his horse Honō (ホノオ, lit. "Flame). He shows that he possesses two navels. Due to Dio's death, Higashikata ultimately finishes the race in second place, and his winnings allow him to start a fruit import company in his hometown of Morioh. His descendents run the company, and by the time of JoJolion, the fourth man to have the name "Norisuke Higashikata" (東方 憲助 Higashikata Norisuke) is in charge. Other racers and their horses are as follows: * Mister. (ミスター・ Misutā) and unknown horse * Tarukus (タルカス Tarukasu) and unknown horse * Rotters Club (ロッターズ・クラブ Rottāzu Kurabu) and unknown horse * Billy White (ビリー・ホワイト Birī Howaito) and Love Unlimited (ラヴ・アンリミテッド Ravu Anrimiteddo) * Shigechi (シゲチー Shigechī) and unknown horse * Mack the Knife (マック・ザ・ナイフ Makku Za Naifu) and unknown horse * Kanye (カニエ Kanie) and unknown horse * Iglesias (イグレシアス Igureshiasu) and Nathalie (ナタリー Natarī) * Nightfly (ナイトフライ Naitofurai) and unknown horse * Dixie Chicken (デキシー・チキン Dikishī Chikin) and Ramblin' Man (ランブリン・マン Ranburin Man) * Caravan Serai (キャラバン・サライ Kyaraban Sarai) and Moon Flower (ムーン・フラワー Mūn Furawā) * Zenyatta Mondatta (ゼニヤッタ・モンダッタ Zeniyatta Mondatta) and Roxanne (ロクサーヌ Rokusānu) * Nellyville (ネリビル Neribiru) and Country Grammar (カントリーグラマー Kantorī Guramā) * Georgy Porgy (ジョージー・ポージー Jōjī Pōjī) and unknown horse * Sloop John B (スループ・ジョン・B Surūpu Jon Bī) and Catch a Wave (キャッチ・ア・ウェイヴ Kyatchi A Weivu) * Baba Yaga (バーバ・ヤーガ Bāba Yāga) and Nut Rocker (ナットロッカー Natto Rokkā) Valentine's assassinsedit ; Pork Pie Hat Kid (ポーク・パイ・ハット小僧 Pōku Pai Hatto Kozō) : Pork Pie Hat Kid is sent by President Valentine to kill Gyro and retrieve the Corpse parts. His Stand Wired (ワイアード Waiādo) takes the form of a winch on his tongue and the hooks from the winch can travel through any object, so long as Pork Pie Hat has put a similar object in a pan of water that his hooks have gone through. ; Dr. Ferdinand (フェルディナンド博士 Ferudinando-hakase) : Dr. Ferdinand is a geologist and paleontologist who has been studying the Devil's Palm since it granted him his Stand Scary Monsters (スケアリーモンスターズ Sukearī Monsutāzu), enabling him to infect people with a virus that transforms them into dinosaurs under his thrall. He is devoted to President Valentine, wanting him to succeed in his plan to rule the world with the parts of the Saint. ; Ringo Roadagain (リンゴォ・ロードアゲイン Ringō Rōdoagein) : Voiced by: Hiroki Yasumoto (All-Star Battle) : Ringo Roadagain is a gunman who lives on an orchard in the Steel Ball Run's path. Anyone who enters the orchard enters the thrall of his Stand Mandom (マンダム''Mandamu''), which allows him to turn back time exactly 6 seconds. He is hired by the President to take Johnny and Gyro's Saint Corpse parts. ; Blackmore (ブラックモア Burakkmoa) : Blackmore is another of the President's assassins who is sent to take the Corpse parts from Gyro and Johnny. His Stand Catch the Rainbow (キャッチ・ザ・レインボー''Kyatchi Za Reinbō'') allows Blackmore to manipulate the flow of rain, stopping it, walking on it, and moving through it invisibly, he can also turn parts of himself (usually his mouth) into water and move them through the rain to attack people. Blackmore is initially successful in his attempt to take the Corpse parts and Lucy Steel back to the President, but he is distracted by a vision of the Saint himself (Jesus Christ) and Lucy helps Gyro and Johnny to kill him. ; The Eleven Men (11人の男たち Jūichi-nin no Otoko-tachi) : The Eleven Men are the next assassins sent by the President to face off against Gyro and Johnny in a bar, all experienced gunmen who use their shared stand Tatoo You!(TATOO YOU!（タトゥーユー！） Tatū Yū!), a tattoo on each of their backs that they can travel through. All seem to have writing in their hair. All die, except for the last who acquires the last of Johnny and Gyro's Corpse parts while they are under the thrall of the mysterious Stand-using tree. ; Mike O (マイク・O Maiku Ō) : Mike O is one of President Valentine's bodyguards and assassins, sent to find the intruder and traitor amongst the President's assassins. While initially calm and composed, he becomes unstable after Scarlet's death, as he had secretly been in love with her. His Stand Tubular Bells (チューブラー・ベルズ Chūburā Beruzu) allows him to turn metal objects into balloon animals that have the same properties as the animal they depict. Once they reach their target, they enter the target in their original form, such as an iron nail or a metal window blind. ; Wekapipo (ウェカピポ) : Voiced by: Ken Narita (All-Star Battle) : Wekapipo is a former member of the Neapolitan royal guard who is hired alongside Magent Magent to protect President Valentine and kill Gyro and Johnny. Also skilled in using Spin, Wekapipo uses a special Steel Ball known as Wrecking Ball (レッキング・ボール（壊れゆく鉄球） Rekkingu Bōru (Kowareyuku Tekkyū)) that releases a series of satellite balls that can blind the target. He soon sides with Gyro and Johnny after discovering that his sister, claimed by the President to have died, is alive and well. He is killed by Valentine, who uses D4C to make him run into another version of himself. ; Magenta Magenta (マジェント・マジェント Majento Majento) : Magenta Magenta is sent alongside Wekapipo to kill Gyro and Johnny. His Stand 20th Century Boy (20th Century BOY（トウェンティース・センチュリー・ボーイ）''Towentīsu Senchurī Bōi''), a vest-like apparatus, makes him impervious to damage and even death so long as he is crouching down with his palms touching the ground. This is his undoing when he eventually is thrown into a river, using 20th Century Boy's power to keep him alive so long as he does not move. He hopes for rescue at the hands of Diego Brando, but he eventually stops waiting and stops thinking, much like Kars's ultimate fate in Battle Tendency. ; Axl RO (アクセル・RO Akuseru Rō) : Voiced by: Taku Yashiro (Eyes of Heaven) : Axl RO is one of Valentine's bodyguards and a former soldier who let an entire town and his fellow infantrymen get massacred because of his disillusion with the war. The guilt he felt after this event manifests as his Stand Civil War (シビル・ウォー Shibiru Wō), which can attack people through the guilt of things they have left behind through a membrane that suffocates them, but the membrane can be dissolved with water. Civil War also can resurrect Axl RO should he be killed and someone feel guilty for doing so. Then Axl RO's guilt is transferred to the assailant, compounding his powers. However, should Axl RO feel guilty for killing his target, Civil War's powers reverse onto him. ; D-I-S-C-O (ディ・ス・コ Di Su Ko) : D-I-S-C-O is another one of Valentine's assassins sent to kill Johnny and Gyro to retrieve the last of the Corpse parts. He does nothing other than activate his Stand, Chocolate Disco (チョコレート・ディスコ Chokorēto Disuko), and attack Gyro, as he sees no point in talking to a man he was simply paid to kill. Chocolate Disco takes the form of a grid-like arm band through which D-I-S-C-O can manipulate the position of objects by switching their positions on the grid, while keeping the momentum and vertical position they had when they were swapped. Other charactersedit ; Stephen Steel (スティーブン・スティール Sutībun Sutīru) : Voiced by: Mitsuru Ogata (Vomic, All-Star Battle) : Stephen Steel is the promoter of the Steel Ball Run and the elderly husband of Lucy Steel. Their marriage is one of love rather than passion. ; Gregorio Zeppeli (グレゴリオ・ツェペリ Guregorio Tseperi) : Gregorio is Gyro's father, and the teacher of the Steel Ball and Spin techniques. ; Marco (マルコ Maruko) : Marco is a young boy from the Kingdom of Naples who was arrested and sentenced to death for a crime he could not have possibly committed. Gyro, upon learning of this travesty, argued for the boy's freedom, and was ordered by the King of Naples to participate in the Steel Ball Run. If he won, Marco would be freed. He is saved at the end of the series, but ultimately takes ill and dies soon after. He shares his name with the Battle Tendency character Mark, a friend of Caesar Zeppeli who dies at the hands of the Pillar Men, spurring Caesar to fight against them. ; Nicholas Joestar (ニコラス・ジョースター Nikorasu Jōsutā) : Nicholas is Johnny's older brother and a skilled jockey who died in a freak accident when Johnny was only five, apparently because of Johnny's pet rat Danny. Johnny tried to follow in his footsteps, but his father favored Nicholas more. ; Sugar Mountain (シュガー・マウンテン Shugā Maunten) : Sugar Mountain is a young girl who has become trapped by a Stand-using tree's power, becoming its guardian. The tree's Stand takes the form of a spring at its base and has powers akin to Aesop's fable "The Honest Woodman". If someone drops something into the spring, it comes out as a much better form than when it entered. The tree then offers it back to its original owner via Sugar Mountain but the owner must acknowledge the original state of the item. If they lie, the tree kills them. If they tell the truth, they are given both but must use the items up or relinquish ownership through a transaction, or else they will replace Sugar Mountain as the tree's guardian. ; Scarlet Valentine (スカーレット・ヴァレンタイン Sukāretto Varentain) : Scarlet Valentine is the First Lady of the United States, wife to President Funny Valentine. She is bisexual and slightly masochistic, and comes onto Lucy Steel. However, this is all a plan by Hot Pants and Lucy to kill Scarlet so Lucy can take her place and steal the President's Corpse parts. Her death causes Mike O to go mad. Hulks The Hulk is a fictional superhero created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, who first appeared in the debut issue of the comic book The Incredible Hulk in May 1962 published by Marvel Comics. In his comic book appearances, the character is both the Hulk, a green-skinned, hulking and muscular humanoid possessing a vast degree of physical strength, and his alter ego Bruce Banner, a physically weak, socially withdrawn, and emotionally reserved physicist, the two existing as personalities independent and resenting of the other. Following his accidental exposure to gamma radiation during the detonation of an experimental bomb, Banner is physically transformed into the Hulk when subjected to emotional stress, at or against his will, often leading to destructive rampages and conflicts that complicate Banner's civilian life. The Hulk's level of strength is normally conveyed as proportionate to his level of anger. Commonly portrayed as a raging savage, the Hulk has been represented with other personalities based on Banner's fractured psyche, from a mindless, destructive force, to a brilliant warrior, or genius scientist in his own right. Despite both Hulk and Banner's desire for solitude, the character has a large supporting cast, including Banner's lover Betty Ross, his friend Rick Jones, his cousin She-Hulk, sons Hiro-Kala and Skaar, and his co-founders of the superhero team the Avengers. However, his uncontrollable power has brought him into conflict with his fellow heroes and others. Lee stated that the Hulk's creation was inspired by a combination of Frankenstein and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.3 Although the Hulk's coloration has varied throughout the character's publication history, the most usual color is green. He has two main catchphrases: "Hulk is strongest one there is!" and the better-known "HULK SMASH!", which has founded the basis for numerous pop culture lifestyles. One of the most iconic characters in popular culture,45 the character has appeared on a variety of merchandise, such as clothing and collectable items, inspired real-world structures (such as theme park attractions), and been referenced in a number of media. Banner and the Hulk have been adapted in live-action, animated, and video game incarnations, including the 1970s The Incredible Hulk television series (played by Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno respectively) and in film by Eric Bana, Edward Norton and Mark Ruffalo. Category:Mizukage